


The Book of Oa

by DCRedux



Category: Green Lantern (2011), Green Lantern (Comics), Green Lantern - All Media Types, Green Lantern Corps (Comics), Green Lantern: The Animated Series, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps (Comics)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Mad Science, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Space Opera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-26 05:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7562725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DCRedux/pseuds/DCRedux
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In 1975, four brave astronauts ventured to the moon and discovered an alien base and a mysterious green lantern. Decades later, NASA have completed their latest shuttle with the technology found, and Hal Jordan and his team will sojourn into space to find the Green Lantern Corps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**DC Redux Presents**

" **The Last Green Lantern"**

**An Abin Sur Story**

**Written by Bodhi Ouellette**

* * *

**Rann:**

The sandstorm was getting worse and worse. It's harder to trench through the deserts in this kind of weather. I'm having a hard time seeing through these goggles. The sand is getting everywhere, my cloak feels like it's going to rip off of my body. All the beasts that roam in these deserts are nowhere to be found. No food tonight, it seems. I have to get back to a shelter. So close, but in this weather, I feel that it will take longer to reach. Not unless I use the ring… No. It's too risky. I must press on in this weather. I can't let them find me again.

Towards east is where my shelter is located, inside of a hollow cave, easily hidden within this desert. In there, no one could ever find me, not unless I stay quiet for the remainder of my existence that is. The staff will keep me protected, keep my balance from the wind. The storm is getting stronger and stronger, any longer out here and I may be either buried by the sand or flying with it. I have to move fast. If I'm lucky I won't be caught by any gunfire by fighter jets from either Rann or the Thangars.

Suddenly I can hear echoes in the wind. I peer around carefully, checking my surroundings, or what I can see of it. The howling, it is of one of the disgusting beasts that ravage in these spaces. Too many have I slaughtered for food. Maybe I will get food after all. I prepare my staff, pressing a button near the grip and from both ends of the staff shot out a blade. I slid the top ends of the staff closer together, making it smaller, easier to wield. I prepared myself for anything that would dare come near me, all the while still leading my way back to my shelter. I didn't hear another growl for awhile. Then, from behind, I could hear it chasing after me, it's breath like a siren. I quickly turned around and stuck the blade forward, scraping some skin off the four-eyed beasts that attempted to attack me. The beast reset his footing, I prepared myself for another strike. The beast's teeth grind, fresh and dried blood is dripping and chipping off. He's hungry for me, but so am I. Luckily for me, I've slain these vermins on a weekly basis. He lunges over towards me, and I once again take a jab across his face, creating a massive gash across the beast's nose. It's bleeding profusely, but nonetheless, he still stands. It tries to jab at me with its claws, but I dodge his strikes at every attempt I can get. The beast makes one final blow before I impale the tip of my blade into its heart. It struggles for a second, but it finally loses it's held on reality and falls down on the ground dead. The storm I've noticed is dying down. My luck has finally returned, it seems, and I begin to slice pieces of the beast up for food.

I've finally made it home, inside of the Cave. I've created a makeshift bed and table with scraps I take from a local town's trash heap. Some metal crates, a mattress, a small table where most of my junk goes, and makeshift refrigeration center, where I keep all of my food. I prepare myself a stew, cutting up the pieces of meat into chunks and throw it into a pot full of broth. Stirring it occasionally, I lay back beside the cave wall and periodically look over to see the decomposing corpse hidden at the end of the cave. I look at it, and every time I do, it reminds me that although I may be running from the vilest force of evil living in this universe, at least I am not dead like the poor individual over there. It could be much worse than this. Once the Stew is done, I eat about half of the pot, before allow myself to digest and then fall to sleep…

The sky was bright red, like blood seeping through the clouds. The fire burning across the lands, bodies everywhere. The Hunters poured out from the sky like raindrops, cracking the ground when they landed. Their eyes glowed a blinding red, as bright as the sun. Their arms extended, morphing around like putty into cannons. The blinding red in their eyes transferred into their arm cannons as they began slaughtering all of us, no matter how much force we used, their power overcame. Throughout the years they hunted remnants of the Green Lantern Corps and killed those who still continued on its legacy. Here, in the Mountain, they are coming for us…

We ran towards the exit down the small hallway, collapsing behind us. Closer and closer were the walls of our haven crumbling by our feet. My teacher, a man with six arms and four eyes, with pale yellow skin and long legs helped direct me out of the tunnel. I could see the light coming closer and closer, the exit close to our grasp. By then, he pulled me into his arms and jumped his way out from the tunnel, finally caving into itself. The smoke from the rubble covered us. He stood me back up and brushed off the dust from my shoulders, then kneeled down so that he was directly facing me. He knew I was scared of them, scared of what they would do to us. "We are almost there," he told me, wiping the tear off of my cheek. "They won't harm us, ever. I promise you."

I sniffed back the mucus building inside of my nostrils. "But… what will happen if-"

"They won't ever get to you. You are ready, my child. If it does come to it, you must go and take the battery with you, and get as far away as you can from them. As long as you never use the ring, they will never find you. Now come, we must get going."

We continued our way through the temple we resided in. An old school carved in the middle of a mountain made to train younger members of the Green Lantern Corps. We could hear the mountain cracking above us, as they attempted to break their way through the thick walls of carved rock and stone so that they can kill us. I trusted my master that he would lead us to safety, but I feared that he and I would not make it out alive.

When we reached the room, we peered open the door that hid the only battery we harbored in the mountain. It's bright shining green light threatened our eyesight, blinding us with its rage. It's desire to be used, to fuel our rings with the unending powers it wields. My teacher grabs it off of the rock it rested on, and looked back at me. "We have the Lantern," he stated. "We must get out of-"

The ceilings cracked open. Without a seconds thought to react, the brutes in red landed inside, breaking the earth beneath them, and almost immediately, attacked us with ferocious speed, pinning my master to the wall, losing grip of the Lantern which happened to be flung towards me. I grabbed it mid fall, and as I looked up I could hear him scream "RUN!" before his entire upper half of his body was reduced to a charcoaled red. It was then that the Crimson hunters turned their attention towards me…

I ran faster than I ever had before in my life, running from my inevitable fate from the hunters. Holding the battery tight in my arms, avoiding every blast from them, I closed my eyes and whispered the oath of the Green Lanterns. "I _n brightest day, in blackest night…_ " but they caught me off guard, knocking me into the wall, falling down onto the lantern, still holding it tight. They lifted me up from the ground and pinned me to the wall. I struggled to look away from them, I could not bear seeing their horrific faces. They try to pry the lantern out of my hand, but I keep holding on. Then it lays his barren hands onto my wrist, burning my already pink skin into a burnt read. I cried out in agony, it felt like the heat of a thousand suns had touched my skin, so I quickly created a ring construct that blew the Hunter's face off of it's body. I landed back on my feet, and continued to run. " _No evil shall escape my sight…_ " They were coming closer and closer. " _Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light!_ " I shut my eyes tight, as I could feel the heat of one of their blasts approaching me. But instead, I felt nothing. When I reopened my eyes, I found myself around a bubble. They tried to break the shield that was protecting me, but nothing seemed to bulge. I then lifted my arm high, high into the sky, and with an immense force, broke the ground below me and split the air in half, traveling through space at a velocity that was too fast even for me, enough to make me pass out…

Once I woke up and made myself breakfast, I began to clean up my living space, collecting papers and tools off from the floor and table and throw them into a crate. Inside of one of these crates I remember, is a green Lantern. It's still glowing, although very faint. I don't even remember the last time I've ever recharged the ring, still placed on my ring finger. But I can never use the Lantern under any circumstance, unless I want to be found again. I have to stay quiet, and never use the ring ever again.

Today I ventured out into the city, as I was missing an important component that I needed to use to repair a radio I had purchased a couple of weeks ago. I had made a knack out of repairing old scrap I found in the city's local dumpster and repairing them, sometimes I even sold the items for a little bit of cash. Being in the city, roaming the streets among the rest of civilization, it is a very different lifestyle than mine, much more sociable, but I prefer to live in the desert. I like the quietness from the outside world.

I purchase the necessary items needed at the shop, and as I begin to head back home, I hear a loud explosion, the sound ringing in my eardrums. I am very close by it seems, to what is happening. Already people begin to run away, as another explosion sets off. I turn around to find the entire block is being ariel bombed by men and women wearing gold armor, with wings that are keeping them in the air. A few of them descend down into one of the buildings, while the others begin to drop bombs into the streets. The trail of explosions setting off almost reaches me, so I hid behind a corner of a building so the blast does not hit me. When the smoke and debris cleared out, I glimpsed out to find the winged warriors carrying out a middle-aged Rannian man and taking him away from the area. A family, distraught, comes out from the building, as more people come out from the other complexes.

"They took him!" The woman wailed. "They took my husband, and they're going to kill him!"

"They took the Senator?" Another citizen cried out. "Those damned Thangarrians!"

I joined in, with the rest of them as the crowd began to holler obscenities, worry comments, and comforting words to the family whose father, and now it seems important political figure, was taken away from them. The Rannian's are all so defenseless, they have no idea what to do against the threat.

"We can't take any more of this abuse from the Thangarrians!" professed a citizen. "We must stand up to them and save the Senator!"

"With what weapons?" replied another. "We have nothing to combat them! No swords, no guns, _nothing!_ "

"Someone has to step up and take charge! We must show them what it means to mess with the people of Rann! Who will step up?"

There was a cold silence within the small group of citizens. I stood forward. "I will do it." The crowd then gives me space and I walk towards the family in peril. The youngest one, a girl, stares up at me, fearful of my somewhat hostile look. "Y- you will save daddy?" she said.

I kneel down. "I will. And I will make sure those who took your father never lay a finger on him ever again."

"Oh, bless you, kind sir." the mother utters giving me a big hug. "You must hurry, who knows how long they will keep him alive before they-"

"That won't happen. I will find him in no time." I started to leave, but then the girl grabbed my sleeve.

"Before you go… what is your name?"

"My name is not important. I am just a friend who is here to help."

* * *

**Thangarr Tower:**

The tower was apparently planted outside of the city walls as a means of threatening Rann's capital city. It is where the Thangarr's base themselves on this planet. Those are just the specifics as I follow the tensions between the two societies very loosely. But the Thangarr's have threatened to kill an innocent life. Being raised with the ideals of a Green Lantern, we must stand up against those who intend on harming or oppressing those powerless to defend themselves.

Through my binoculars, I can see up top of the tower. The Senator is not the only hostage they have up there. There are dozens of other individuals like the Senator joined with him in their kidnapping. Some of the guards up there have large assault rifles. One man, in particular, has a mace with tiny spikes on the ball. This is more than just a kidnapping. This is an execution. I must hurry before they kill them.

I put my binoculars away and pull out a couple of scrap metal, holding it tightly in my hands. Peeking the corner revealed three guards, all separate, and positioned at different spots. When they all looked away from my direction, I threw the scrap metal over to where they weren't looking over. The sound attracted them over to investigate, leaving me to bypass them and continue on. I sneak behind another guard, pulling out some rope I wrap it around his neck, choking him enough so that he would pass out, pulling the body behind a bunch of boxes stacked up. I move on, getting closer and closer to the tower, when suddenly, a guard turns the corner and spots me.

"You there! What are you doing in the perimeter?" he called to me. I quickly pull out a smoke bomb and lunge it at the guard, before he could pick up his walkie-talkie to inform the others. Although, the sound of the bomb going off will certainly alert anyone near me to come. I press a button on the side of my metallic strap, and flames exhale behind the pack. I fly up against the walls of the tower, eventually, reaching the top. When the Thangarrs notice me, I crash through the window and immediately, with my staff, I start picking off the guards one by one, beating them in even the simplest of combat techniques. To believe that the Rannian's are scared of these individuals.

I steady myself, facing what I can only assume is the General of the force. "Let these people go," I say, "Before I unleash my full set of skills against you."

"These people here threaten to take this land away from us!" the General cried. "We came to this planet offering peace and freedom from our own corrupt world and this is how they are repaying us, by sending us back!"

"This is not the way to negotiate for things, General," I say back to him. "There are other means than kidnapping."

"You don't understand, fool. We've tried that. But they won't listen. So now, we are using other means of negotiation." The Thangarr General pulled out his pistol and placed the barrel by the Senator's temple. "By means of torture and violence."

I stared helplessly as he slowly pulled on the trigger. "No!" I screamed out, where my arm extended out and the fluorescent, glass like construct of a clap, grabbing the gun out of the General's hands and flinging it across the roof. The Thangar looked at me with bugged eyes.

"Bastard… Shoot him!" He ordered the other soldiers to do, immediately a blaze of gunfire heading towards me. I shielded myself with another construct, this time in the shape of a semi half bubble. It's been so long since I have felt the energy of the ring flow through my body. When all of their bullets ran out, it gave me the chance to create a massive hammer and swiped them all off their feet, landing onto the ground. When some of them attempted to get back up, I came up close to them and smacked them back down with a gauntlet with thorns on the ends of them. I then grabbed each and every one of the Thangar warriors and pinned them to the wall, by retrieving some loose metal and wrapping them around it. With the exception of the General, who I approached, still on the ground. He looked up to see me, cowering back. "Who… are you?"

"My name is Abin Sur," I revealed. "I am the last Green Lantern alive. Remember my name, and remember who I am the next time you decide to beat another citizen of Rann to a bloody pulp. For the next time, you do that, I _will_ come for you."

With that threat, I created another bubble around all the Senators and brought them off the tower and back into the city.

When I returned to the city, with all of them safe and sound, they all reunited with their respective families and friends. They thanked me for my noble act, and wished to repay me, but I denied their offer. I told them, "I won't be able to stay much longer. I now put myself, and everyone else in danger just by using this ring. The Manhunters will come for me. I must escape, and get as far away from this planet as possible. Forgive me… You are all strong. Stand up for yourselves, and you will win this war. I trust you all…"

I left them, quickly returning back to my cave in the desert to retrieve my Battery, and then, for the last time, shot up into the sky and left the planet. I flew past asteroids and stars in my venture to escape the Manhunters once more. I can already tell they are behind me, the red glow seeping behind my eyesight. This time, it seems, that I must face the one thing I have been escaping from all my life… Death.

But now I'm no longer afraid. If I am to die, I am to die a noble death. Let the Manhunters come. I will show them what it means to be a Green Lantern.


	2. Like Father, Like Son

_Have you ever traveled to a new location before, someplace like the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls, and find yourself absolutely stunned by the view of such a beautiful landscape? You might see it many other times in your life, but nothing will ever beat seeing it for the very first time. That was what it was like to go into space kids. To view the vast universe, to see the Earth from hundreds of miles away, to step onto the Moon and feel yourself sink into its crater._

_We were only hundreds of feet away from the Moon. Our ship, the Apollo 21 made preparations to land on the surface. In the Command Module, I, and three other brave astronauts sat patiently for the vessel to reach lunar orbit, all the while admiring the view of out there, in the empty-less universe full of stars._

" _Would you look at that?" I uttered to my colleagues. "Never in my lifetime would I ever expect to be here, looking out there."_

" _It's a beauty to admire, Martin," my friend Walt replied. That man had the most amazing handlebar mustache I've ever seen. "Men like us… we're lucky to even experience this."_

" _And hopefully, we won't be the last ones to do this either, Walter," my friend Will said. "Soon enough, the whole world will experience what we've seen here."_

_I looked back out, thinking about the moment Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon. "One small step…"_

" _One giant leap for mankind," our Captain finished. Captain Alan Scott was probably the most selfless, most caring man I've ever met, a mentor and role model everyone should follow. "Now pay attention, Jordan; in a few moments, you have to detach the Lunar Module from the ship and land you, Dr. Haley and I safely onto the Moon's surface, while Dr. Magnus stays here so we can ensure a safe trip back. Understood?"_

" _Yes sir, Captain Scott," I answered._

" _Good. Then let's get ready."_

_I, Walt Haley and Captain Scott aboard the Lunar Module, while Willy Magnus took the Captain's seat. Scott flicks up a switch on the board. "This is Captain Alan Scott of the Apollo 21 informing you all that we are in the Lunar Module and ready to detach from the Command."_

" _*Zzzf* Apollo 21, you are free to launch, over. *Zzzf*," replied someone back home, at NASA… Carl, I believe._

" _You're good to go, rookie, take it away." Captain Scott told me._

" _Affirmative, Captain," I said. We all buckle ourselves in, while Willy gave us confirmation for us to detach the Lunar Module from the Command. With a press of the button, the Lunar Module separates from the ship. I was in charge of controlling the Module so that it would land safely on the Moon. Slowly, but surely, the Lunar Module descends down onto the surface of the Moon. "We are twenty-five feet from landing," I reported, counting down every moment we descended closer to the surface. The anticipation was building inside of me. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for an astronaut like me. I wanted to make sure I'd take in every second I had out there on my mission. Then, finally, the pod landed on the Moon._

" _We have made a safe landing, everyone," Captain Scott announced to us. "Prepared to continue on with our mission."_

" _*Zzzf* Copy that, over. *Zzzf*" Carl replied._

_Captain Scott unbuckled his belt. "Alright you two, let's move fast," he informed us. "We must go in, retrieve all the necessary items and then get back here, back to the ship and head home. NASA's counting on us to find the ultimate jackpot. Ready?"_

" _Affirmative!" cried out Haley._

" _Yes, sir!" I said._

" _Great. Let's go treasure hunting. Open the doors, Jordan."_

_I pressed a button on the panel, which decompressed all the air inside of the ship. Then Captain Scott pulled the lever, and opened the latch up, and released the ladder below. One by one we exit out of the pod like we were recreating the first step Neil Armstrong took on the moon. All three of us were now on the surface. "Incredible," I said, overwhelmed by the sight of the Earth I could see from the Moon._

" _Damn, Will, you sure are missing a great view!" teased Haley._

" _Kiss my butt, Haley," Magnus shot back bitterly through the coms. Haley laughed, Martin snickered a little bit._

" _Alright everyone, settle down," interrupted Scott. "Let's get going."_

_When all three of us landed on the Moon's surface, we bounced our way over to the destination, the footprints we were leaving behind imprinted into the moon's crater, like the way the sand forms around your feet when a wave pulls back into the ocean. Moving around on the Moon felt like a trampoline the way you bounced up from the low gravity. Haley and I even joked around a bit by making cool flips when we could, and then we'd get quickly scolded by our Captain, picking us up from the ground and telling us to get back on track. He was a very serious man, always focused on the mission._

_We reached a massive ditch, and inside of the ditch, what we found was shocking. Inside was an abandoned base, planted directly inside of the ditch. It was circular in shape, low leveled to the surface. Not only that, but there were footprints left behind. We were stunned. I looked back at Captain Scott. "Is this what we're looking for?" I asked him._

" _Indeed it is," he replied back, I could tell that even Captain Scott was surprised by this major discovery. "Let's head inside and search it."_

_We all made our way towards the entrance of the base, the thick doors broke off somehow. I grabbed my flashlight, as did the others, and we ventured inside. The interior was large, there was the main room which was the size of a stadium, circular in shape, with multiple platforms placed above each other. On the floor, we noticed, was a green circle with two lines on the top and bottom of the circle, and around it was an even bigger circle. Everything was covered in moon dust, and empty for the most part. We didn't find anything of worthiness in the main room, so we moved on into smaller hallways, with individual rooms, some of them were bedrooms we assumed, with the lockers and drawers emptied out, though some belongings were left behind. A couple of journals made out of materials similar to leather. I flipped through one of the books to find it all to be written in a language I had never encountered before. These, my kids, were definitely aliens living in this base. What happened to them though we needed to figure out._

_We took some of the stuff left behind to study later back on Earth, then continued on into the hallway. We turned a corner to find a bright green light coming from a room at the end of the long hallway. "What the heck is that?" Haley expressed._

" _Let's find out," I said. We entered inside of the room, and on a small stone table sticking out of the ground was something that I could only describe as some sort of… Lantern. It was in a similar shape as the symbol on the ground, and in the middle glow a bright green light. The rest of the room had tons of blueprints hung from the wall, open books scattered everywhere. When I peered at the corner, was the remains of a… well, you guys might be too young to know what we found._

_But everything else in the room we were incredibly focused on. We took every single book in the room, grabbed every blueprint, and finally, we dared to grab the Lantern from it's resting place. "Martin grabs that glowing object," Captain Scott ordered._

" _Yes, sir." I approached the Lantern, and apprehensively picked up the Lantern. Nothing happened, at first. Then the stone platform sunk into the ground, and inside of the room, a blue light flashed. The room started to shake violently._

" _We have to get out of here, now!" Captain Scott ordered. We made our way through the hallways crumbling behind us as fast as the gravity could let us pass. Kids, this was exactly like the moment Indiana Jones picks up the idol and get's chased by a boulder in Raiders of the Lost Ark, except in space. But we were into the main room when a shaft fell below us. I was stuck behind Captain Scott and Haley, so I got caught on the platform, trapping me on the ground. It was too heavy for me to lift it myself._

_Captain Scott stopped and looked back to find me trapped. "Martin!" he screamed. Haley had already hurried off back to the module. Captain Scott turned back around to help bring the shaft off of me. "Hold on!" he shouted back, but I waved my hand back._

" _No! Don't save me! Grab the Lantern and get out of here!" I frantically told him. At that time I had accepted my fate that I would not make it out alive._

" _Not gonna happen, Martin!" he replied back. "Everyone's getting out of here alive!" With all his might he forced the broken platform off of me and helped me back on my feet. The room was now imploding on itself. "Go!" he cried. I grabbed the Lantern off from the ground, and I made it out of the building alive, diving out as fast as I could. I spun around to see if Captain Scott was behind me, but I did not find him there._

" _Captain!" I yelled out. "Captain Scott are you there!" No answer. The dust had settled inside of the now destroyed base. Captain Scott was nowhere to be found, stuck in the rubble of the fallen debris. I could hear Haley's words come through the coms asking me to come back to the ship. He then asked me, "Is Captain Scott okay?"_

" _No…" I said hesitantly. "He didn't make it…"_

_I returned back to the ship, entering back into the Module, flying up into the ship, and after telling the people back home what had happened to our Captain, they gave us the go ahead to head back home. We all were quiet on the long travel back to Earth. Our thoughts were twisted with the discoveries we've found, and the explanations we were to make about Captain Scott's death, died on December 17th, 1975; just a few days short of celebrating Christmas… Captain Alan Scott saved my life, kids… His selfless sacrifice allowed me to have the life that I have with you and your mom… I'll never forget what he did for me…_

* * *

**Coast City, The Jordan's Home; 1993:**

"Wow…" the child sitting in the middle of his three other brothers uttered in disbelief. "So what happened when you got home?"

"Well, Hal," started his father, "We came home with the book and the Lantern, and handed it over to N.A.S.A. Of course, the confiscation of what we found couldn't be revealed to _anyone_ in the world, but we knew that whatever it was that we got, it was going to change our world forever."

"Did you ever get to go back into space?" Hal asked, clearly the only one still invested in his father's story, as his older brother, Jack, went back to playing video games and his younger brother, Jimmy, far too young to pay attention to most things dozing off with a stuffed bear.

"I never needed to, Hal," continued his dad. "They stopped financing missions to the Moon after the discovery, and now that the first man died on the Moon, they wanted to make sure they never had another casualty like that ever again. But Captain Scott saved my life, the crew, and the mission. I owe my life to him, and you and your brothers for that matter, too."

"Dad, you had the coolest job ever!" blurted out Hal in excitement. "When I grow up, I wanna be an astronaut!"

The words rang inside of Martin's ears with delight, if not a bit worrisome. Whether or not Hal would continue with this fascination will yet to be seen, but he has hopes that he will stick to his guns; after all, a Jordan is known for sticking to what they want to do. Before he could speak again, his wife entered the room. "Dinner's ready!" the two ran into the dining room, while Wendy picked Jimmy up from the ground. He glanced over to her with a smile.

"Hope they enjoyed the story," he whispered to her.

"I'm sure they did, spaceman," she replied kissing him on the cheek.

* * *

 **NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland** **; 2014:**

"Testing, testing, one two three," Hal Jordan repeated into the microphone. "Can everyone out back hear me?"

"As clear as day, Command Module Pilot," one of the lunar module pilot's repeated through the coms inside of a replica of an official NASA spacecraft cockpit, attached to pivots and gears that allow the pit to move. A group of five other scientists watches the test through a glass window. Within the cockpit are hidden cameras to maneuver their every movement, testing them on all aspects of the test, which can be seen on a huge monitor dividing up each camera angle into individual boxes they could watch through. In their hands were clipboards, with checklists for grading their performance. One of them presses a button on the keyboard.

"He's no CMP yet, Vic," replied one of the reviewers. "But if he keeps it up in this test he might be."

"Y'know, Command Module Pilot doesn't sound as catchy as, say, _Commander_ ," Hal responded.

"People gotta start somewhere," he said. "At least you've got the word in your title."

"First, he has to remember people's names," joked the actual Commander of the test.

Hal began to get annoyed by the teasing. "Can we start the test already?"

"One more moment… yup, you're all good to go. We're starting the clock, you've got ten minutes for your test. Your performance will be graded based on the efficiency of communication, and ability to complete the mission in the timeframe you have. Good luck."

Hal and his crew prepared for the mock journey into space, first by launching the ship. With all the buttons and switches being pressed and flicked, it almost acted like a symphony the way every piece had to work together in order for them to not cause their own deaths from one mistake. All the while, their Commander has initiated the countdown. "All systems go, we are ready to launch. Commencing launch in ten… nine…. Eight…" the ship began shaking, subtle, but noticeable. Noise can be heard mimicking the sounds of the engines starting up. "Seven… six… five…" the shaking got violent, and the sounds got louder. "Four… three… two… one… Blast Off." The shaking kept up, with the similar force of flying up into the sky being mimicked, replicating the feel of being launched in a gigantic metal cockpit. All of the pilots, including Hal, tensed in their seats. No matter how much training they had to prepare them for such a feeling, it shook them to the core, the sense of ascending to higher levels. Of course, this was only a test, and their work wasn't done just yet.

Once they were into space, Hal quickly took over the controls as he was in charge of piloting the ship past a certain perimeter where the test would be completed. Pivoting the control stick ever so slightly, even the wrong turn can redirect them off course. "We're almost at the end, ladies and gentlemen… Just… gotta keep going… any second now. We don't have to worry about anything…"

"Enough with the snarky remarks, Hal," interrupted the Commander.

"Yeah, man, you don't want them to fail us just because you can't keep your mouth closed."

Hal concentrated further. He jerked the joystick more, pushing it further along the path, at a faster speed than before. This notion alerted the Commander.

"Hal, slow down, we're in no rush," said the Commander. "Remember, ease on the stick."

"We're two minutes away from failing this mission, Commander, a little bit more speed won't cause anything to happen" Hal brushed off. "We'll make it, trust me."

The red sirens went off, indicating something is wrong. "Air pressure is going down, sir!"

"Hal, you need to slow down, we are not in the right transition from atmospheres."

"Less than two minutes, Commander, we can make it."

"You don't know that-"

"We'll make it!" Hal screamed back. "This can work, trust me."

Hal never backed down. He kept the ship at a faster pace than usual, causing a stir amongst his colleagues. "Hal, I order you to slow down!"

They were reaching the point of completion. Hal had figured this out, by speeding the ship up just a little bit, they'd reach the end without failing based on going overtime. Hal wasn't going to deal with doing this test a third time. The clock ticked down, twenty seconds left, they were twenty feet away from completion. The sirens got louder, crazier. By the time they reached completion, everything went away. The sounds, the artificial view, the lights from the screens and the blinking red light. Nothing went wrong. They passed.

But that certainly didn't mean Hal would get a glowing review on his scores. A solid C is what he got on his sheet. Hal just sat in his chair pondering the absurd score he received. "Ridiculous!" he protested. "I helped complete the mission!"

"Yes, you did," started one of the testers. "But you almost risked the survival of the crew from your recklessness."

"Oh come on, nothing happened! I made sure we wouldn't cross the breaking point, just so we could achieve the goals in the remaining time we had. Is that not good enough?"

"Hal, you need to understand this crap doesn't pass by when you are actually up there in space. That is dangerous and reckless, and you need to learn how to not do either of those."

"Christ's sake, you're telling me I failed the test for the second time…"

"I'm sorry, Hal. You'll just have to do it again."

"God damn it…"

"Hold on one moment, someone is at the door." The Tester left the room, as the anger inside of Hal grew immensely. He failed a second time, how dumb did he have to be to fail it once, let alone twice. He was just about to protest to the Tester again, until another man, in a full black suit came in with a grieved look on his face. He cleared his throat. "Hal Jordan," the man started. "I am sorry to announce this to you, but your father, Martin Jordan, died this afternoon from a heart attack…"

* * *

**Coast City Funeral Home; One Week Later:**

Hal entered the doors of the Funeral Home, greeted by members of is distant family there to honor that who has passed. Martin Jeffrey Jordan retired NASA pilot, and beloved husband and father of three boys, gone from this world. A table was outside of the room which displayed pictures of Martin with his friends and family, as well as pictures of him when he was younger, as a boy up through his adulthood, in NASA, and after his career, with his boys enjoying fun hiking trips and games of baseball.

He remembered vividly, a day where he accidentally threw the ball at his younger brother's face, bruising it, with his father having to care for him while he and Jack fought with baseball bats like lightsabers, making the humming sounds attached to it. He picked another photo up, with just him and his dad. They were in an open field, and he had a space shuttle in his hands. He soon escaped into a recollection of memories with him and his father, so deep in his thoughts he didn't even hear his brother Jack approach him from behind, tapping him on the shoulder. Hal quickly turned around. "Hey, Jack, good to see you again," Hal softly greeted. "How's Mom?"

"She hasn't stopped crying since he passed," Jack answered, directing Hal into a big room with candles lit up and dozens of chairs lined up. His father's coffin was on the other end of the room, opened, with flowers covering his body. He could see his mother and his younger brother Jim sitting up front, comforting his ill mother. "She hasn't dropped a tear this morning, though. I feel like she's all out."

Hal paused. "How are you and Jim doing?"

"I'm… managing. It happened all of a sudden, I'm still a bit shaken up by it."

"Guess we should've known sooner. Why are there so many chairs out, Jack? I thought this was a _private_ gathering?"

"It would've been, Hal, but… with my position as mayor, and his involvement at NASA, they insisted they have a bigger wake and funeral for him. You've got your speech, right?"

"It's right here," tapping on his left breast pocket.

They finally reached the rest of the family. Hal bends down to hug his mother, kissing her on the forehead, then hugging his younger brother Jim. They sit together up front when the ceremony began. The room was packed with family members, friends and members of NASA. It began with a few words from the Priest, who detailed the role Martin Jordan had in the community around him, from friends and family to the work he had done for the Church. Even as an astronaut he was faithful to God. The speech moved many in the room, though this was no high feet to make when you are a Priest speaking for the dead, as every speech will hit home to any man, woman or child who has lost someone close to them. To honor them with such words elevating them to higher standards. At most, Hal appreciated it. After the Priest spoke, Jack stood up from his chair and approached the podium with a speech in his hands. He cleared his throat.

"My father, Martin Jeffrey Jordan, was a man who always appreciated all the little things in life…"

"Christ sake," Hal dozed off after hearing such a horrible beginning to a speech about his father. To be fair, Jack didn't know Martin like Hal did, mainly because Jack was never connected to him the same way he was to his father. It didn't help that Hal had the same interests as his father, and his brothers didn't, sometimes this caused fights between the family as it felt that his dad wouldn't appreciate the direction of politics that Jack wanted to go into. As for Jim, well, architecture was always his strong suit, so building and designing houses will give him a steady lifestyle, unlike him or Jack. 

At this point Hal didn't even listen to what his brother had to say, most of it was all nonsense. Jack always liked his mother more anyways. The thunderous claps peeked into his ears again and brought him back to reality. He looked up to see his brother positioning his arm in a gesture welcoming him to the podium. Hal got up from his seat and stood behind the podium with his speech out. Now the spotlight was all on him. He gulped.

"I… I remember a story my father told me once. About a brakeman who saved his life. The story of a man's sacrifice so that he and his colleagues could come home to their families safely. He…" he stuttered, wiping off the sweat from his forehead. "He told me how before that day he never considered himself a selfless man. He had never done anything to help someone in need. There were countless of times he could've. But he didn't. He didn't do it because he never thought about it. It didn't cross his mind that he should do the right thing. His friend died saving his life. And…" Hal took a deep breath, then continued.

"And that event not only changed his view on life but his view on how he can help those in need. This message reached even me as a child. It made me believe I could do the same, that I could do what my Dad did. I wanted to be my Dad. And so I decided I wanted to become an astronaut. I worked hard to try to make that dream possible, and I promised him that he would get the chance to see me in space. Now, that's not going to happen…" Hal couldn't keep his emotions inside anymore, his voice cracked and the tears started to drop.

"Now I have a feeling that all that I've worked for is no longer worth it… I can't even pass a god damn test my first try, let alone three! I'll never be as good like my father was… I'll never achieve his dream… I'm sorry…" he left the stage in a haste and removed himself from the room. He rested beside a wall far away from anyone to hear him, and the waterfall of tears streamed down his face. The dream of flying in space was gone. There was nothing left for him, except despair.

* * *

There was no-one left at the wake, except for Hal, who sat right next to his father's coffin. He held his crumpled letter in his hands, his eyes red, and his nose stuffed. He looked over once more at the coffin elevated above him. "I'm… I'm sorry I didn't keep in contact with you at the academy, Dad," said Hal. "I guess I was afraid that you'd be disappointed in my work. It took me so long to get to where I am now and I'm still not even there yet. There's no hope for me. I'm sorry, Dad…"

He got up and placed the letter with the batch of flowers left behind. He said but one thing for his father before they had to take him away. "I love you, Dad…" And he left.

He left the building and was about to head to his car when he heard a woman's voice speak up behind him. "That was a very noble speech you made, Hal," she said to him. Hal turned around to see a woman, dressed in all black, with long black hair and green eyes, a beautiful smile that even warmed Hal up.

"I tried to keep it all inside, but I couldn't," Hal started to explain.

"It was sincere. You're still shaken by his death, I understand. But I found your speech to be honorable and true to the man that he was."

"Did you ever know him?"

"I didn't, unfortunately. My father did, and from what I have heard from him he was a very noble, and heartfelt man. He would've been proud of your work, Hal."

"Thanks... who are you?"

"Carol Ferris. I work for NASA on behalf of my dad who couldn't make it. I wanted to talk to you about something, over coffee?"

Hal shrugged. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, nothing like that. I have something I'd like to offer to you…"

* * *

**Coffee Shop:**

The two sat next to the window of a very small little shop where the fragrance of coffee beans and breakfast sandwiches circulated the space, the sounds of pages turning into books and glass china grinding. Hal took his sip of coffee then placed it back down, while Carol Ferris took one from her cup. "So what's this offer?" he asked urgently.

"What is your wish, Hal?" she asked of him. "What do you want to do in NASA?"

He looked at her puzzled. "Did nobody tell you what my test scores were?"

"I've seen them yes. Those scores don't matter to me. I want to know what you'd like to do in NASA."

"Like what anyone would want to do; pilot a ship and fly into space. Venture off into the unknown, where no man has gone before. To visit a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. To travel the galaxy."

"He told you the story of what happened on that mission, correct?"

"He told me everything. He told me how it all happened, so many times that I can see it happen in my own mind."

"What happened on that mission has _never_ been disclosed to the public," Carol emphasized. "We confirmed that Captain Alan Scott of Apollo 21 made an unfortunate slip into a ditch and died from the fall and that we could not recover the body. It was a massive f*%^ up that caused N.A.S.A a Captain and a mother and her newly born daughter a father. But on that mission, which my father was a part of, we recovered technology and scriptures of an ancient alien society that we believe is out there, somewhere in this galaxy."

Hal placed his cup down once more. "What did you do with the tech?"

"After figuring out its functions, we managed to re-engineer it, to create our first ever ship that could travel more than past the moon in three days. It can travel to Mars and back in less than _three hours_. We're very near close to making this announcement to the public that we will be starting our exhibitions into space once more, and that I will be commanding a small crew to travel with me. I want _you_ to be my pilot of the _Alan Scott Interceptor 1._ "

His jaw was wide open at this incredible request. "But I- I mean the tests said that I wasn't ready-"

"Do you want the job or not?" Hal didn't even need to think about this. He already knew what his decision was. He knew it since the day he wanted to be an astronaut, to begin with.

"Yes…"

* * *

**The story of Hal Jordan continues as we discover more about this new mission to space, to find a lost society, and to travel through the vast universe, in the second chapter of this space epic; The Book of Oa. Catch the other stories with all of your favorite superheroes reimagined only at DC Redux.**


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